A glacier 2-miles thick covered Massachusetts 100,000 years ago. It slowly melted and receded back north, ending about 12,000 years ago. But the “footprints” of that glacier remain in the land’s sculpted geography.

In Groton, for unknown reasons, there is an unusual abundance of those footprints. There are 40+ hills of dirt and stones (drumlins), dozens of meandering elevated ribbons of dirt and stones (eskers), a score of big round pits/ponds in the ground (kettle holes), and scraped granite bedrock (outcrops and wetlands). In this tour, you’ll visit three conservation areas in three hours to see examples of these glacial remnants via the Groton Trails Network, a system of roughly 130 miles of public trails within the town’s borders.

The trails are rugged and there are numerous steep hills totaling 500 feet. Total hiking distance will be 5.7 miles. Participants must be physically fit. No pets allowed. Activity will only be cancelled if there is severe weather predicted.

DATE: Sunday, May 31

TIME: 1 – 4 PM

LOCATION: Participants should park at the Nashua River Rail Trail parking lot on Sand Hill Road, Groton, MA. This is adjacent to the Shepley Hill conservation land. The second conservation area that will be visited is the Casella Preserve. We will park at the upper athletic fields of the Groton-Dunstable Regional High School on Chicopee Row. The third will be the Groton Memorial Town Forest and we will park at the end of Town Forest Rd (follow Wharton Row off Rte. 225).

This program is offered by the Groton Trails Committee as part of the Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History, an annual month-long celebration showcasing events and activities hosted by local partners celebrating the unique places, objects, and stories of the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area. Hidden Treasures programs are free and open to the public. Click to discover more Hidden Treasures!